Mock Draft 3: Guess This Guy

Anyway, the third of the Gatorade Dump's mock drafts. I've been picking for the Phoenix Suns on the Hoops Addict mock draft project (featuring blogs such as TrueHoop, SacTown Royalty, Blog-A-Bull, and End of the Bench) so be sure to tune into their podcast as they count up from pick #30 to pick #1. But if I was the only one doing the draft, here is how it would look.

1. Toronto-Andrea Bargnani (1): I still believe Bargnani would work best here. Unless Toronto can trade this pick as part of a package for a superstar (like Jermaine O'Neal), their best bet of getting a real star is Bargnani. Aldridge would be a nice player, but nothing more. A frontcourt of Charlie Villanueva, Bargnani, and Chris Bosh would be devastating and would mirror Phoenix's Marion-Diaw-Stoudamire frontcourt.

2. Chicago-LaMarcus Aldridge (6): The Bulls sorely missed Eddy Curry's post scoring this year as they dropped from 47 to 41 wins. The good news is the trade netted the team two high draft picks this season and next season. Aldridge is the best post scorer in this draft and would be a very solid compliment to Tyson Chandler's defensive ability.

3. Charlotte-Rudy Gay (8): The Bobcats are in dire need of an impact scorer. Gerald Wallace has been a solid small forward, but he shouldn't be leading this team in scoring. Draft Gay and move Wallace to the 4 spot, and the Bobcats have the makings of a really solid frontcourt with Gay, Wallace, Sean May, and Emeka Okafor. Gay has the most star potential, and the Bobcats desperately need an impact player.

4. Portland-Adam Morrison (4): Henry Abbott from TrueHoop has been calling for Brandon Roy, but with Martell Webster and Juan Dixon, the Trailblazers are pretty set there. With Darius Miles' future bleak, the Blazers would be best served to take Morrison. He could start right away or be a solid player off the bench for them, and he can play right away.

TRADE: Orlando trades Keyon Dooling and the #11 pick to Atlanta for the #5 pick.

5. Orlando-Brandon Roy (3): Perfect situation for the Magic. They get the shooting guard they've been looking for to compliment Jameer Nelson in the backcourt. Atlanta is looking to trade down anyway and select either Shelden Williams or Randy Foye, so they would be open to a trade with Orlando. In addition, Dooling gives them a stand-in point guard for the time being.

6. Minnesota-Tyrus Thomas (2): They do have Kevin Garnett, but I find it hard to believe the Timberwolves would pass on the free-falling Thomas. Thomas would give them an immediate defensive presence and he has the potential to improve his offense significantly. This could be a steal.

7. Boston-Marcus Williams (7): Celticsblog indicates that the Celtics are no longer very interested in picking Williams in this spot, but I'm confused as to why. Williams is the perfect fit to a Celtic team in desperate need for a true point guard. Williams is the best point guard in his draft, and if Boston passes on him, there will be shades of Atlanta passing on Chris Paul last year.

8. Houston-J.J. Redick (14): Redick has worked out well and is moving up in the draft. Houston is a great fit for him because he will get plenty of open shots after teams double-team Yao and Tracy McGrady. He could very well form a solid shooting guard duo with Luther Head, last year's first round pick.

9. Golden State-Rodney Carney (9): The City is saying the Warriors should take Patrick O'Bryant. I still think Carney would be a great fit, to be honest. The Warriors could use an upgrade over Mike Dunleavy, and Carney would certainly fit the bill. Ideally, Golden State would trade some of their pieces for a big superstar, but in lieu of that, they should pick Carney.

10. Seattle-Randy Foye (5): Foye's a very good fit here. Having traded Flip Murray, the Sonics could use a guy behind Ray Allen and Luke Ridnour. I personally think we'll see Foye as the starting point guard in 2 years and we'll see Ridnour on another team. Either way, with Chris Wilcox and Johan Petro emerging inside, the Sonics should look to the backcourt.

11. Atlanta-Shelden Williams (16): They trade down 6 spots, get Keyon Dooling, and still get their guy. Williams gives the Hawks a physical post presence down low that the team has lacked since Dikembe Mutumbo left.

12. New Orleans-Patrick O'Bryant (12): This guy has a ton of potential, and while he still is a bit of a project, the Hornets could end up being very happy with O'Bryant when it's all said and done. Either way, he gives the Hornets some much-needed size.

13. Philadelphia-Cedric Simmons (13): Having been unable to get Randy Foye, the Sixers instead go inside to get Simmons. Eventually, they're hoping Simmons is groomed to start once Chris Webber departs. For now, Simmons fits in behind Webber and Samuel Dalembert.

14. Utah-Ronnie Brewer (11): Brewer gives the Jazz some toughness on the wing that they haven't really had. The Jazz could really use a shooter, but Brewer is the best all-around wing available at this spot.

15. New Orleans-Shannon Brown (15): Other than being only 6'1'', I can't see anything that I don't like about Brown's NBA prospects. He is a phenomenal athlete, a very good shooter, and has the ability to handle the basketball. A backcourt of Chris Paul, J.R. Smith, and Brown would be small, but extremely dynamic in an up-tempo game.

16. Chicago-Maurice Ager (17): The Bulls really could use a big wing. Chris Duhon, Kirk Hinrich, and Ben Gordon are a solid threesome, but all are pretty undersized. Ager looks like a prototypical tall slashing two-guard.

17. Indiana-Rajon Rondo (20): With Anthony Johnson aging and Jamaal Tinsley likely to be traded, the Pacers could use a point guard. Rondo reminds me a lot of Tinsley coming out of college, and he could step right into the rotation.

18. Washington-Alexander Johnson (NR): Johnson has been shooting up the draft boards and is exactly what the Wizards need. He's a physical power forward with both offensive and defensive ability. Plug him behind Antwan Jamison, and suddenly the Wizards have a physical presence that could eventually replace Jamison down the road.

19. Sacramento-Hilton Armstrong (18): The Kings could use a backup for Brad Miller, who wore down over the course of the season. Armstrong would certainly fill that void right away.

20. New York-Mardy Collins (13): Larry Brown loved using Aaron McKie when he coached in Philadelphia, and if he sticks around, he'll have the chance to coach a McKie clone in Collins. With small guards in Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury, Collins allows the Knicks to match up better in the backcourt.

21. Phoenix-Sergio Rodriguez (NR): Has received rave reviews and is a great fit for Phoenix's system. He's jet quick and is an excellent three-point shooter. Look for him to play as a backup to Steve Nash next season.

22. New Jersey-Jordan Farmar (19): Jason Kidd desperately needs a backup, and there is nobody in this draft who plays more like Kidd than Farmar. I don't think Farmar will be quite as good, but as a backup, he's quite solid.

23. New Jersey-Oleksiy Pecherov (NR): New Jersey has a history of taking European big men and stashing them away for a year or two (see Kristic, Nenad). Pecherov has worked out well and could be a solid power forward in a year or two.

24. Memphis-Saer Sene (27): Memphis has a pretty stacked roster, but they are a bit thin at center. Down the road, Sene may develop into a game-changing defensive presence for the Grizzlies.

25. Cleveland-Quincy Douby (28): A pure shooter that has point guard ability. LeBron James could always use another shooter to capitalize on double-team opportunities.

26. LA Lakers-Kyle Lowry (22): The Lakers get a pure point guard that they never had this season. Lowry probably won't start, but he'll get plenty of time behind Smush Parker next season. He has the ability to take the ball-handling pressure off Kobe Bryant.

27. Phoenix-Shawne Williams (21): With Tim Thomas likely to leave this summer, the Suns need a 3/4 type player to fill his role. Williams doesn't really have a position, but in Phoenix, positions don't matter. Williams has the potential to be a very solid forward in this league for a long time with the Suns.

28. Dallas-Thabo Sefolosha (NR): A pure small forward that the Mavericks can stash away for a while and utalize him down the road. Eventually, Sefolosha could replace Jerry Stackhouse in the rotation in the future.

29. New York-Josh Boone (29): I've been told that the Knicks have promised this spot to Boone. While the Knicks don't really need a power forward, Boone has the ability to be a good player. All he needs in consistency.

30. Portland-Ryan Hollins (NR): Hollins is a bit inconsistent, but you can't teach size, and with Joel Pryzbilla a free agent, the Blazers could use a big guy. Hollins has the ability as a shot blocker inside.